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From Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to Eminem and Mariah Carey, celebrity drama has fueled the entertainment industry for years. Some are simple, petty arguments or Twitter drama that last a little too long. While others can be more complex, spawning a myriad of diss tracks, physical fights, or, yes, even lawsuits. They also keep us glued to our screens, laughing, cringing, or picking sides. Let’s dive into some of the most unforgettable celeb dramas from the past decade.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar
The music scene in 2024 was filled with surprises. From Beyoncé going country to Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga collaborating on a No. 1 song, the catchy songs just kept on coming. The most popular song, though, wasn’t one of the feel-good tracks released by Sabrina Carpenter. It was a diss track released by none other than the rap icon Kendrick Lamar. The song, titled “Not Like Us,” hit streaming platforms during the middle of his messy beef with Drake. After going back and forth, Kendrick was seemingly declared the winner by music critics (and fans) after taking over social media and the Billboard charts.
Following the release, Kendrick’s song was everywhere and quickly became one of the summer’s biggest hits. Consequently, Drake went into hiding while Kendrick enjoyed a level of success he’d never seen before.
However, in late 2024, Drake threatened to file a lawsuit against his music publisher, Universal Music Group, for defamation. In 2025, he did it. As of the publication of this list, the case is still ongoing. But when there’s an update, we’ll certainly be talking about it because this is one of those celebrity dramas you can’t miss.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively
This one should come as no surprise. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have been eviscerating each other in the media since the summer of 2024. At that time, both actors were on the press tour for their movie, “It Ends With Us.” Loyal netizens noticed the odd dynamics certain cast members had with the movie’s lead and director, Justin. Content creators made flow charts and explained them in-depth on TikTok, while others spoke to sources with first-hand knowledge. During this time, Blake was getting bad press, and online users said some of the most vile things to her.
However, in December 2024, things started to become more clear. In a shocking lawsuit filed by Lively, the actor accused Baldoni of sexual and other types of harassment. “I hope my lawsuit will help lift the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics used to harm people who speak out about misconduct – and protect others who may be targeted,” she said about her filing. Since then, Baldoni has counter-sued the actress for “civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.” Their lawyers have gone back and forth, releasing lengthy statements and denying the other’s claims. Like Drake and Kendrick, we’ll have to continue waiting for an update on this one. But what we do know is that this will be one of those celebrity dramas people will continue talking about for years to come.
Will Smith and Chris Rock
The explosive drama between Will Smith and Chris Rock took everybody by surprise—they didn’t even see it coming. In case you forgot, these two acting legends had everybody talking during the Academy Awards in 2022. After Chris made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett, and her alopecia, things took a left turn. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor marched on stage, walked to the microphone, and laid his hand right across Chris Rock’s face. “Oh, wow,” Rock said in response to getting assaulted. “Will Smith just smacked the sh-t out of me.” Smith replied, “Keep my wife’s name out [of] your f-cking mouth.”
Will eventually acknowledged his indefensible behavior in a YouTube video. “I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” he said. “My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.” Rock, who said in March 2022 that he’d talk about the incident when he was ready, seemingly replied during a comedy show in Atlanta. “Everybody is trying to be a fucking victim,” he said. “If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims.” Will was banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years. “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” he said.
Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion
After collaborating on a song in 2019, many music fans believed Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj were going to be an unstoppable duo in the rap game. However, things turned sour between them only one year later, and their fallout became one of the biggest celebrity dramas of the decade. When Megan teamed up with Nicki’s enemy, Cardi B, on the 2020 hit “WAP,” that started a war between these two queens that nobody could’ve predicted. For years, until 2024, the pair went back and forth with each other on social media. However, Nicki seemingly took it to the booth in her 2023 single “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.” In the song, she comments about not messing with “horses since Christopher Reeves.” Fans assumed she was talking about Meg since her stage name, stallion, means horse.
Megan took note of the shade and replied with her song ” HISS ” in 2024. During the track, Stallion mentions “Megan’s law.” The latter is a 1994 federal law that makes information about registered sex offenders available to the public. In case you didn’t know, Minaj is married to Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender who was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree in 1995. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Meg’s most popular titles. This didn’t sit well with Nicki, who released another song called “Big Foot.” It featured some scathing bars; however, it didn’t perform nearly as well as Stallion’s “HISS.”
Solange and Jay-Z
We’re all still dying to know what happened between Jay Z and Beyoncé’s sister, Solange, that Monday night in May 2014. (Because let’s be real … when you think about celebrity drama, this one automatically comes to mind.) After a beautiful evening at that year’s Met Gala, footage of Solange’s fists flying toward Jay Z was released on the internet. The 30-second clip has no audio, but the video is clear as day. Jay and Bey stand in a corner as Solange begins hurling punches and kicks at the rap icon. They released a statement to the Associated Press the next day, asking the fans to put the news behind them.
“At the end of the day, families have problems, and we’re no different,” the statement read. “We love each other, and above all, we are family. We’ve put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same.” Later, Beyoncé famously addressed the incident during her 2014 release, “Flawless,” featuring Nicki Minaj. “Of course, sometimes sh-t go down / when it’s a billion dollars on an elevator.”
